Flag Of Hobart

Melbourne can be such a show-off when it comes to its cultural (or in this case, subcultural) credentials, but Hobart has her fair share of street art – she just doesn’t feel the need to shout â˜look at me!’ Yes, there’s plenty to see in the laneways of this city’s CBD, and the more you look, the more you’ll find. In an unnamed laneway off Bathurst Street, look for new-style paste-ups and stencils among the motorbike line-up. This wall’s got plenty of stories to tell – just think of it as a gallery without a name. Next, head down Murray Street to Bidencopes Lane for a smorgasbord of street art. Here you’ll find a messy mix up of tags, tiny paste-ups, throwups and bigger pieces that make bold statements. It seems destined to become a photo backdrop for wannabe cutting-edge newlyweds, but the rest of us could just spend ages letting our eyes trawl through the work of local and visiting artists.

Look out for work by Tassie’s Die Laughing Collective, a talented trio made up of local creatives Paicey, Empire and Jamin. Speaking of Tassie master sprayer Jamin, weave through the laneway to Harrington Lane via Liverpool Street and you’ll find his solo commissioned mural. It’s a bright, bold, psychedelic-slash-tribal masterpiece on a red brick wall. Jamin trained as a fine artist and shows his work in both galleries and on the streets of Hobart and overseas. This work’s one of his freshest – proof that this little city has some serious visual street cred. Paste-ups are printed images or drawings that are cut out and pasted onto a wall. Stencils are pre-prepared street art. A design is cut out of a sheet and then transferred to the site via spray paint or roll-on paint. Tags are stylised graffiti signatures. While the term â˜throw-up’ may suggest visual vomit, it’s actually like a slightly more-involved and bigger tag, acting as a type of logo for the creator.